The First Avenger
by avengettes.assemble
Summary: A new spin on Captain America: The First Avenger. Obviously this is a fan-version of the story with a female version of Captain Steve Rogers. But, we hope that with the different genders of a few select characters, it will add new drama and suspense to the story we already love. There are scenes from the movie alongside newer scenes we've devised ourselves. We hope you enjoy it!
1. Chapter 1

(Author's Note: Well, here we are at the start of it all! I kinda suck at intros so let's just get the ball rolling!)

"Harris, Robert," the doctor called up another name, another young man volunteering to save his country from a raging war overseas. Another name, another, and another, each walking up to get evaluated. 1943, every able-bodied man was called to action. Hiding behind a newspaper was someone who didn't fit any description of able-bodied… Or a man.

"Lot of our guys getting killed out there," a guy next to her said, reading a newspaper. "Kinda makes you not want to go in, huh?"

"Nope," the person beside him said, hiding behind their newspaper.

"Rogers, Stevie," she perked up at the sound of her name. She flipped the newspaper she had been reading down, and got to her feet. Standing at a frail 5'0", she was quite possibly the least eligible human being to enlist in the army. Despite the obvious problem of being a woman, she had more health problems than someone on their deathbed.

The doctor looked down and already grabbed the stamp to let her know that she wasn't going to cut it. She looked up at him and he stopped, taking a deep breath. Stevie figured he was just humoring her.

"Stevie Rogers," he looked at her chart, raising an eyebrow. "What'd your father die of?"

"Mustard gas," Stevie reported. "In the 107th Infantry, I was kinda hopin' that I could be-."

"And your mother? Sarah?" Stevie took a deep breath.

"She was a nurse in a TB ward, sir," she said. "She caught it, and… Couldn't shake it." Her death was still fresh in her mind, it hadn't happened too long ago. She saw the doctor reach again for the stamp.

"Sorry," he said. "You're not eligible, kid."

"Sir, please-," Stevie began to argue.

"First off, women can't enlist to begin with." the man said. "And, even if you were a guy, you'd be out on your asthma alone, not to mention all of your other ailments. Do yourself a favor and go home, Rogers."

"Just gimme a chance," Stevie pleaded.

"I am," the doctor said, stamping her form. "I'm saving your life." He shoved the paper at her and called up the next guy in line. She clutched her form and stormed out, already making a plan to go to another recruitment station later that week.

Stevie would often go to the movies alone. She only really had one friend, James Barnes, Bucky, as she liked to call him. He was always off, a pretty gal on each arm. He was a ladies' man, but, he had always been there for her, like a guardian angel, as Stevie's mother would call him. It didn't really matter to Stevie whether or not Buck had a girlfriend or not, she was just happy to have her friend.

She paid for her ticket and walked in, grabbing a seat not too far from the screen. She had pretty bad eyesight for the most part, but she liked watching cartoons; for her they were a bit easier to see than actual, real actors.

If asked, she probably couldn't tell you what cartoon she was going to see that day. It was probably something that Disney was pumping out to show off to everyone. But, what Stevie really wanted to see, to motivate her to try to enlist again, were the war support commercials. Men and women shown doing everything they could to serve their country. The gals were all working in factories while the men went off to fight for their lives. Kids, even, doing their part by gardening or collecting scrap metal. Stevie wanted to fight, though. It was odd, but there was something in her drawing her to the center of action, to be a hero.

"Play the cartoons already!" some loudmouth called from in front of Stevie. Women whose husbands or brothers were out fighting turned their teary eyes towards the guy. "Who cares? Let's just get on with it!"

Stevie leaned towards him. "Hey, you wanna shut up?" she snapped quietly. "Show some respect, those people are doing their part out there." The guy turned around standing up to a full height of, well, taller than Stevie that was for sure.

"And what are you gonna do about it?" he said. Stevie got to her feet. The guy rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you wanna fight me. You're just a dame, you couldn't fight a breeze."

"Let's find out then," Stevie argued.

The first punch had caught her off guard. Usually when she challenged guys like this to fist fights, they went easy on her. It drove her mad the way they wouldn't fight her on equal grounds. Though, while this particular jerk was not at all pleasant, she at least had to give him credit for actually treating her as an equal.

She spun to the ground from the impact. She scrambled to her feet, holding her fists up to block another jab, which was quickly followed by one she couldn't dodge. This one sent her crashing into the garbage cans that sat against the alley wall. She groaned in pain, but got right back up. On her way back to her feet, she grabbed a lid from one of the now dented cans, holding it up as a shield. The guy grabbed it, tossing both it and her back to the ground.

"You just don't give up, do ya?" the guy asked, looking at her as she struggled to her feet. Stevie spit to the side, grimacing slightly at the small trace of red mixed in with saliva.

"I can do this all day," she said breathlessly, starting to sway a bit. The guy aimed a right hook and was about to let it fly when someone grabbed him by the hook of his elbow, yanking him back.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" the voice behind the grab said. "And find someone who isn't a gal, ya hear?" He shoved the guy out of the alley, giving him a good kick in the rear for good measure. Stevie wiped her lip and chin of blood, peering up through one good and one swollen eye at her apparent rescuer.

"Bucky," she said, getting fully to her feet after staggering.

"You know," he said. "Sometimes I think you like getting hit, Stevie." he frowned as he looked her up and down.

"I had him on the ropes," she assured, brushing herself off before Bucky came towards her to brush what she missed.

"Come on, let's go get you cleaned up, kid." he said. He noticed something that had fallen out of her pocket. He picked it up, seeing the rejection of enlistment. "Where were ya from this time? Paramus? Jersey, really, Stevie?" he shook his head. "You know it's illegal to lie on the enlistment forms, right?" Stevie looked at him and saw that he was in uniform, fully ready to…

"You got in?" Stevie asked. Bucky chuckled.

"Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes," he said. "Member of the one-oh-seventh. Shipping out to England first thing tomorrow morning." Stevie sighed in a huff.

"I should be going," she said.

"You know you can't," Bucky said. "No offense, sweet cheeks, but you ain't exactly army material. Not to mention the whole 'being a girl' thing kinda makes it tough for anyone to let you join up."

"I don't care," Stevie almost stamped her foot in frustration. "Buck, I want to do this. I know I can…!" Bucky chuckled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sure you can, doll," he said. "But, let's get you cleaned up for now. I've got a surprise for you, but you kinda shouldn't show up lookin' a mess."

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"I'll tell ya on the way." he said.

The two of them climbed the rickety stairs to Stevie's small apartment. She lived alone and hardly ever had company besides some girls she sang with. Then again, they usually offered their places as practice areas. Stevie rarely cleaned the place either, which was yet another reason to not like to bring people 'round.

She pat her pockets, letting out a small sigh with a quiet, "Come on," as she dug through her pockets. Bucky smiled as he watched her. He always found her forgetful nature charming. He let her search around a few more minutes before he walked over to a brick off to the side, revealing her spare key. He bent over and picked it up.

"You always seem to forget about this, doll," he said with a grin, handing it to her. She bit her bloodied lip and took it.

"Thanks," she said softly, unlocking her door. Inside, the blinds were closed, letting almost no light in from outside. Papers were strewn across the floor, forms from four separate recruitment offices, all saying that she was denied enlistment. There were newspapers from months ago, crumpled or folded around the floor and the table. Stevie rubbed the back of her neck.

"Sorry about the mess," she muttered, scooping up some of the papers. Bucky picked up some others, looking over her other failed attempts at joining the army.

"You seriously tried to pass off someone from Ohio?" Bucky asked her, holding up one of the forms with a sly smirk. Stevie blushed.

"I thought maybe coming from outta state would help my chances." she said. "Stupid idea, they didn't even talk with me, just stamped it and sent me out." she sighed as she placed the organized papers on her table.

"You're lucky you haven't been arrested yet, Rogers," Bucky said.

"According to the recruitment officers, I'm lucky they haven't accepted me," she said grumpily, heading to her small kitchen. She grabbed some ice and wrapped it in a towel, pressing it against her cheek. Bucky grinned and shook his head.

"Kid, you just don't know when to run off from a fight," he said. He walked to her bathroom where she kept a first aid kit. They'd known each other since they were in grade school, and he'd helped her on more than one occasion with after-fight scrapes and bruises, not to mention her asthma attacks and other problems she had. He was convinced he could be a medic with all the practice he'd had with Stevie.

He walked over, opening the box, getting some alcohol on a small rag. "This'll sting." he warned. She nodded and took the towel of ice off of her face, revealing a decent sized cut. Bucky gently applied some pressure onto the gash. Stevie winced, clutching the ice bag to stifle a whimper.

"Sorry, kid," he said, cleaning the wound. He looked at her face, seeing the swelling around her eye. "You know you're gonna get another shiner, right?"

"It's not a big deal," Stevie grumbled. "Ain't the first, probably won't be the last." Bucky sighed, shaking his head as he wadded up the rag, putting a bit more alcohol on it, tending to another cut.

"It is a big deal to me, Stevie," he said. "You may be one of the smartest gals this side of Brooklyn, but you make some of the dumbest decisions. What were ya thinkin', going up against a guy like that? He's practically twice your size."

"He was being disrespectful," Stevie argued.

"So what?" Bucky sighed, getting out some gauze for her cuts. "You need to sometimes just let things go, doll. You don't always have to be the hero, you know."

"I know that, Buck," she said, taking a deep breath. "I just-."

"Yeah, I know, kid, you don't like bullies," Bucky finished. "Look, let's just, forget about today, and have a good night. I'm shippin' off tomorrow morning, after all. I wanna make my last night in town special."

"You takin' one of your gals with you?" Stevie asked, looking at him as he stood. He smirked and held out a hand towards her.

"We're headed to the future, Stevie," he said. "And I wanna go with my best gal."

(Author's Note: And that's chapter one, folks! I really hope you all enjoyed it. I certainly liked writing it. Please lemme know what you think, both of the story so far and of Stevie, we're both pretty curious to know what you all think of her! Cheers, can't wait to write the next chapter!)


	2. Chapter 2

(Author's Note: Ha, bet you didn't think we'd get another chapter up so quickly, eh? Well, turns out that I kinda have an obsession with Captain America, so I kinda churned these out a lot quicker than anticipated (2000+ words in less than 12 hours? Scandal!). Anywho, enough dilly-dallying, we've got an Expo to get to!)

Stevie rarely got dolled up for anyone, let alone her best friend. But, Bucky always went out with girls with perfect hair, perfect makeup, perfect, well, everything. She tried not to compare herself to them, but she almost always did. They were examples of what beauty was. She was a bag of bones that called herself a woman.

She looked at herself in the mirror, almost wishing to herself that Buck had taken any of his other girls to the Stark Expo. She didn't like the way she looked at all. The blue dress she wore would've looked great if she had the curves for it. It showed off part of her chest, where the necklace from her mother Sarah rested. The short sleeves barely covered her skinny arms, making her shiver even in her apartment. The dress flared out after the waistline, and Stevie almost laughed to herself about how much she looked like a hot air balloon.

Her makeup was never her strong suit either. She usually went without it, having never wanted to impress any guy that would maybe accidentally look her way. That night, she had worn the brightest shade of red lipstick she had, smiling ever so slightly that the blue and the red together matched the colors on the American flag. She had a little bit of eye makeup on, but nothing too flashy, especially around her swollen eye. She'd been careful around her cuts from her fight earlier as well, hoping that they didn't get irritated by the makeup.

Hair was something Stevie fortunately knew how to do well. She had curled her hair, pulling it back with a few bobby pins in an updo that her mother had once shown her how to do. A few of the ends were looser than she would've liked, but she thought it would do just fine.

She walked out of her bedroom, where Bucky had been waiting for her. He stood up when he heard her door close and smirked at her.

"You look great, doll," he said. Stevie felt a little color rise to her cheeks as she tried to wave the comment off. "What is it?"

"You're just sayin' that, Buck," she said. "I've seen gals on your arm who look a thousand times better than me. You don't have to be nice just 'cause we're friends, you know." Bucky shook his head.

"Stevie, I'm not gonna lie, I've had some pretty amazing lookin' gals on my arm, but you?" he asked. "Believe me, you would put them all to shame. There's no gal in New York, in the whole world, even, that I'd rather be with tonight than you." He smiled at her and she looked up at him, a smile of her own coming to her face.

"Thanks, Buck," she said quietly. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"No need to thank me, doll," he said. "It's like it's been since we were kids. I'm with ya till the end of the line, Stevie. Ain't nothing's gonna change that." He gave her a small side hug before looking at her. "Ready to head out?"

"Yeah," Stevie said. She grabbed her key quickly, putting it in her purse. "Don't want to forget that again." she smiled at him as he chuckled. "Let's go, Barnes. To the future!"

The cab ride didn't take very long. Of course, the bulk of the time was spent weaving through traffic to get to the Expo. Thousands of people, it seemed, were on their way to see what newfangled inventions Howard Stark had up his sleeve. Stevie had to admit, she was a little excited to see what the night had in store.

Bucky insisted on paying the cab driver. Stevie would've argued but, he cut her off as he whisked her into the Expo. People were packed like sardines in a can in the open-air pavilion. Posters for all of Stark's inventions covered pillars that held up a monorail as it sped around, carrying people willing to wait hours in line for a ride.

The main attraction for the evening, however, was a flying car. Stevie almost didn't believe what she was reading. She looked up at Bucky, who glanced down at her, grinning.

"Wanna go see a car fly, Stevie?" he asked, seeming to pick up on her excitement. She nodded excitedly. "Let's get going then. If you're gonna see it, we'll have to get up close, doll." With that, the two of them made their way to the stage where the flying car would be.

The crowd was already several dozen people thick by the time Bucky and Stevie made their way to the site of Stark's feature presentation. Stevie groaned as she stood on her toes to try and see the stage. Bucky looked down at her, a whole nine inches shorter than him. He knew she'd never be able to see anything but the backs of those in front of her. He tapped her shoulder gently.

"You can't see, can you, doll?" he asked her. She frowned and shook her head.

"Nah, but it's okay," she said. "You can just tell me how good it looks."

"Not a chance, Stevie," Bucky said. He grinned as she looked at him with a quirked eyebrow. The confusion only lasted a moment until he gently grabbed her around the waist, holding her up so she could see over the heads of the crowd. "How's the view from there, huh?"

Stevie was initially a nervous wreck at the suddenness of her feet leaving the ground. But, that panic quickly gave way to a fit of giggles that warmed her cheeks. "It looks great from here, Buck," she said. "Is this what the weather's like all the time up here?" Bucky chuckled just as Stark's showgirls took to the stage.

Dressed in flashy clothes, the ladies strut out on stage, smiling million dollar smiles at the crowd and flashing cameras. Soon after, Howard Stark himself walked out onto the stage, grabbing the microphone as he spun around, winking to the women in the crowd. He made eye contact with Stevie, who, because of Bucky's actions now stood a head above the crowd and made a special effort to wink just at her. Stevie's face turned bright red and she looked away.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, his voice echoing from the mic. "What if I told you that, within a couple of years, your car wouldn't have to touch the ground at all?" The crowd muttered to themselves, almost as though they didn't believe he could do it. "Well, if you don't believe me, watch this." he went to his control panel and pushed a few buttons as his showgirls took the tires off of the car in the middle of the stage. Once the girls were clear, he pulled a small switch. An electrical hum came from the car, and, suddenly, it began to rise. Slowly, but surely, the car began to float off of the ground, hovering for a few moments… before unceremoniously crashing to the ground. It was met with laughter from both the crowd and even Stark himself.

"Well, I did say a few years, right?" he said to the now applauding crowd.

"An A-plus recovery on his part, huh?" Bucky asked, letting Stevie down. She laughed lightly.

"Guess we aren't ready for a flying car just yet," she mused, looking around.

"So, doll," Buck said. "What do you wanna do now? I was thinkin' dancing. We haven't gone dancing in a while." Stevie hummed appreciatively at the idea, but her eyes started to wander until they rested on an "I Want You to Join the US Army" poster under a sign that led to a recruitment office at the Expo. Bucky followed her gaze and had to bite back a groan of exasperation.

"Stevie, come on," he said. "You really want to try this again? Now? You already tried once today, four other times in the past couple of months. Give it a rest, doll." Stevie shook her head, dashing off without Bucky to the office. Bucky followed closely behind, taking his hat off and running a hand through his hair.

Stevie took almost no time at all coming up with a story. She was from Boston, this time. She stuck with the same story, the real story, that her father had died, and he'd been in the 107th, the unit she would request if she could. She would leave her mother out of it unless they asked.

As Bucky followed her, a couple gals he'd hung around with last week spotted him and decided to tag along as he said he was "looking for a friend". He eventually spotted her walking into the office, and told the girls to stay behind just for a second.

"Stevie," he called. Stevie almost jumped out of her skin. She hadn't heard him coming. "Stevie, just wait a second, okay?"Stevie sighed softly, turning around.

"Buck, if you think you're going to try to convince me to stop-."

"It's not that," Bucky said. He sighed softly. "Just, be careful, okay? I worry about you. You know, with all of your issues, I don't know if they'll be able to take care of my best girl if something goes wrong." Stevie chuckled, smiling at him.

"Oh, I'm tougher than I look," she said, giving his shoulder a gentle punch, though no one in their right mind would call that a punch. "You've gotta stop worryin' about me, Buck. I'll be fine."

Bucky sighed softly, making a quick decision. He wrapped her in a tight, but not too tight hug, resting his head on top of hers gently. "Please just promise to not be stupid out there, Rogers." he said quietly, pulling away from the hug.

"How can I?" she said with a wry smirk. "You're takin' all the stupid with you." Bucky's face quirked into a smile and he kissed her cheek gently. Stevie smiled at him, pink dusting her cheeks as she pat his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Thanks, Buck," she said. She turned on her heel, heading in. Bucky watched her go, her little porcelain doll, wanting to head off to war. Even though she wanted to join so badly, he found himself selfishly wishing that she wouldn't get in…

Stevie sat in the examination room. It was another long round of asking questions, answering as honestly as she could. But, her forms, her medical conditions, the anemia, the asthma, the flat feet, all of it was out in the open. She felt a huge rock in her stomach, almost as though she knew that she wasn't going to get in once again. And, maybe this time, she wouldn't be so lucky and she'd get arrested for lying on her paperwork.

Her fears were almost confirmed when the curtains were pulled back and a man in a Military Police uniform walked in. Her heart nearly stopped and she felt her palms start to sweat. The man stood there for a few moments, and then another man walked in, dismissing the officer. Stevie relaxed immediately.

The man was distinguished looking, with a beard and thinning hair on his head. He was dressed in a suit and had a briefcase with him. If Stevie had to guess, this man was a doctor of some kind.

"So," the man spoke, interrupting Stevie's train of thought. He had a thick European accent, but she could understand him. "You want to go overseas, eh? Be a soldier? Kill some Nazis." Stevie looked at him with a face that was a mix of concern and confusion.

"Excuse me?" she prompted.

"Dr. Abraham Erskine," the man introduced himself, holding out his hand for her to shake. "Head scientist of Strategic Scientific Research."

"Stevie Rogers," she said softly, returning the handshake. "Where are you from?"

"Queens," Dr. Erskine said. "73rd Street, a studio apartment. Before that, Germany." he looked at Stevie. "This troubles you?" Stevie quickly shook her head. "And you, Ms. Rogers." he looked at her with a knowing smile. "Where exactly are you from? Is it New Haven, or Paramus. Five exams with five different home cities listed."

"Th-That may be the wrong file-." Stevie tried to defend herself, but Dr. Erskine held up a hand.

"It's not the five cities I'm interested in, Ms. Rogers, it's the five tries. But, you also didn't answer my question from earlier." he leaned across from her. "Do you want to kill Nazis?" Stevie pondered his question, biting her lip.

"Is this a test?" she asked. Dr. Erskine shrugged indifferently.

"Yes," he admitted.

Stevie sighed softly, rubbing her arm anxiously. "I don't wanna kill anyone. I don't like

bullies, no matter where they're from." Dr. Erskine smiled a little.

"There are already so many big, strong men fighting in the war," he mused. "Maybe it's time for a strong woman to join up." Stevie let out a breath of a chuckle.

"I'm hardly strong, sir," she said softly.

"Not in the traditional sense, no," he said. "But, perhaps…" he trailed off for a moment. "I can offer you a chance. Only a chance."

"I'll take it," Stevie said excitedly. Dr. Erskine started to walk out of the curtained off room, waving for her to follow. She did and smiled the entire way.

"So," Dr. Erskine said. "Where's our little soldier from? Actually." Stevie smiled a bit.

"Brooklyn." she said. Dr. Erskine nodded, stamping her form with finality.

"Congratulations, soldier," he said, handing it to her. He walked away as Stevie opened the file, seeing the two symbols she'd been so desperate to see. She'd been accepted. She let out a breath, a smile coming to her face. She was in.

(Author's Note: I pulled a number from Toni's book and stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this! It's currently 3:36 AM and I'm tired, so, with this, I bid all of you a fond farewell and good evening. Cheers, until the next chapter!)


	3. Chapter 3

(Author's Note: Welp, it looks as though this is happening every two days or so. I won't promise that this'll be consistent, because college is hard and I've missed three weeks of school. Catching up is tough. But, I'll try not to make excuses for myself, I've just gotta do it. Enough from me, let's get on with basic training!)

Stevie stood outside of the military base camp in New Jersey. She'd been driven there by someone sent by Dr. Erskine. They hadn't talked a whole lot, but she was almost grateful for that. She didn't want to go through the task of explaining her being there.

She walked in, almost immediately getting corralled into a tent to get her army fatigues on, and get ready for morning training. Getting pushed and shoved around wasn't anything she wasn't used to, but these were army officers and trainees, all of which towered over her by at least half a foot.

Stevie was jostled into place in line with all the other new recruits. A man stepped out, walking in front of them all. His hair was neatly combed to the side, his cheekbones were high but noticeable, his chocolate brown eyes analyzing all of the recruits like he was picking out a paint for a room in his house.

"Gentlemen," he said, pacing in front of them. His eyes rested on Stevie for a moment, raising an eyebrow before continuing on. "My name is Agent Matthew Carter. I supervise all operations of this division."

"What's with the accent, King George?" a soldier next to Stevie said. "Thought I was signin' up for the United States Army." Agent Carter paused in front of him, narrowing his eyes and looking at the soldier.

"What's your name, soldier?" he asked him.

"Gilmore Hodge, your Majesty," he said.

"Step forward, Hodge," Agent Carter ordered. Hodge did as he was told. "Right foot forward." Hodge scoffed.

"You wanna go dancing?" Hodge said. "You might wanna ask the dame over here before me." he jerked a look towards Stevie, who looked down briefly before standing at attention again. "I don't swing that way, Tinker Bell." Agent Carter's fist made contact with Hodge's face, sending him spiraling to the ground. All of the soldiers backed off, still standing at attention.

"I see you all've met Agent Carter," a voice said. The colonel walked up. "Hodge, pick your ass off the ground, don't get those fatigues dirty." Hodge scrambled to his feet, his nose bleeding. He sniffed, giving a quick "Yes, sir," before standing back at attention. The colonel started to pace in front of the soldiers.

"General Patton has said that wars are fought with weapons but they are won by men. We are going to win this war because we have the best men." He trailed off for a moment when he caught a glimpse of Stevie, nearly lost in the line. He sighed, shaking his head and continuing. "And because they're gonna get better. Much better. The Strategic Scientific Reserve is an allied effort made up of the best minds in the free world. Our goal is to create the best army in history. But every army starts with one man. At the end of this week we will choose that man. He will be the first in a new breed of super-soldiers. And they, will personally escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of Hell." With that, their training began.

Stevie worked harder than she ever had before in her life. She was put through all of the same training as the others. She ran through obstacle courses, doing everything she could to not slow down, even when she was short of breath. Asthma constricted her windpipe as they clambered up ropes. The other soldiers that saw she was struggling would often offer her some help, which she would quickly decline, not wanting to seem like a damsel in distress.

The colonel, Agent Carter, and Dr. Erskine all observed the soldiers as they ran through the obstacle course. Dr. Erskine paid close attention to Stevie while the colonel was watchful of Hodge. The man was built like a wall and performed admirably in all areas.

Agent Carter watched them all, writing down notes on his clipboard. He would look between the two older men's favorites, making sure to get everything he could down. The drill sergeant would shout orders, sometimes breaking Matthew's concentration, especially if the criticism was directed at Stevie.

Stevie was crawling in the mud. They were doing a drill, seeing how well they all did making their way underneath barbed wire. The wire was held up by loose wooden stakes. Hodge looked back at Stevie struggling behind him, and began to kick out at one of the stakes. It collapsed after a few taps, bringing the wire down onto Stevie's helmet. She yelped, ducking down further into the mud.

"Rogers!" the drill sergeant shouted. "Get that rifle outta the mud!" Stevie shouted something that was probably a "Yes, sir…!" as she struggled to push the barbed wire up and get the gun out of the muck below.

She eventually made it out, running out to the next part of the exercise, the last step before a mile run. She cleaned her rifle off before lining up to run with the others. She barely had time to catch her breath before the sergeant told them to get going.

Stevie fell behind almost instantly. Her lungs were working in overdrive, and she could barely keep upright. She was at least 40 feet behind the slowest man, and she wished that she could take a breather. A truck carrying the colonel and Agent Carter had passed her ages ago. She saw it stop a little ways ahead, where the rest of the soldiers had stopped on the drill sergeant's orders. She caught up, panting, placing her hands on her knees.

"We've reached the halfway point, boys!" the sergeant shouted. He pointed up to a flag. "Now, if one of you can get that flag down, you get a ride in the truck back to base. Have at it, boys!" The soldiers all ran towards the flagpole, all of them scrambling to climb it to get to it. The sergeant stood back. "Good luck getting it, no one's gotten that flag down in seventeen years!" Hodge managed to get about halfway up before falling flat on his back. "Come on, ladies, let's get back to running."

The men all lined back up to run. Stevie, however, walked up to the pole, looking at it. The drill sergeant shouted her name, but she ignored it, pulling a piece of metal out from the bottom of the pole. It fell like a tree cut down by a lumberjack, hitting the ground with a clang. She casually walked over to the flag, picking it up. She walked over to the sergeant, handing it to him.

"Thanks, sir," she said, climbing into the truck, taking a deep breath. Matthew Carter looked at her with a small smile. She returned the smile and allowed herself to relax as the truck began to move. She dug into the pocket of her pants, pulling out a small pad of paper and a pencil. She propped her knee up, starting to sketch. Sketching always helped her relax.

Matthew turned around from the passenger seat, looking at the sketch she was doing. It was of a woman. She looked a little like Stevie, but with darker hair. He looked at Stevie. "Who's that?" he asked. Stevie perked up, looking at Matthew with a slightly embarrassed blush.

"It's, uh," she coughed. "It's my mother… Sarah." She bit her lip, her pencil stopping in its scratching. "She died about two ago."

"I'm sorry," Matthew said.

"Nah," Stevie said quietly. "It's alright… Well, not alright, but-. I just.." she shook her head. "Sorry, I'm rambling." Matthew felt a little smile come to his face. She had no clue how to talk with men, none at all.

"That was smart of you," he started. "With the flagpole." Stevie looked up to him and smiled a little.

"You learn to look at the stuff others don't when you're smaller than them." she said, tucking her pad of paper back in her pocket. "Learn to spot what's really important."

"Come on, ladies," Matthew paced as the soldiers all did push ups. "My grandmother could do better than you lot, God rest her soul." Stevie pushed up with all her might, her arms trembling. She'd long since lost count of how many push ups she'd done.

The colonel and Dr. Erskine stood off to the side. "You're not seriously thinking of picking Rogers are you?" the colonel said, as if he was still bewildered by the fact.

"She's perfect for the procedure," Dr. Erskine said.

"When you brought the asthmatic waif here, I thought I'd humor you, maybe she'd be up to the task. But, look at her. All skin and bones." the two looked as she struggled to keep up with the others as they did jumping jacks. "She's gonna make me cry. I thought it'd be good for you to have a test gerbil or something, but this gal, she won't cut it. Do you know how long it took for me to get this experiment of yours approved?  
"Yeah, I know," Dr. Erskine said, exasperated.

"All the groveling I had to do in front of Senator what's-his-name?" the colonel continued. Dr. Erskine held up a hand to stop him.

"Who would you suggest then, hm?" Dr. Erskine asked.

"Hodge is a perfect candidate, passed every test we gave 'im." the colonel said. "Strong, tough, follows orders, he's a soldier."

"He's a bully," Dr. Erskine argued.

"You don't win wars by makin' friends, Doc." the colonel reached into a nearby truck with ammunition, pulling out a dummy grenade. "You win it with guts." He tossed it amongst the soldiers. "Grenade!" he shouted. Everyone dove out of the way, Matthew running over, having not noticed that it was a fake. But, while everyone else was keeping their distance, Stevie spotted the grenade, and made a split second decision. She jumped onto the grenade, yelling for people get away from her.

Everyone stared, expecting the small woman who'd managed to wiggle her way into the army to be blown sky high. But, after a few moments, she was still with them. She uncurled herself from around the grenade, looking around. Dr. Erskine smiled at her.

"Is this a test?" she asked, looking over at him and the colonel. Dr. Erskine grinned knowingly at the colonel.

"She's still scrawny," he said.

Stevie sat in her tent that night, fidgeting. Her sketchpad, full of drawings of fellow soldiers, her parents, Bucky, even a couple quick sketches of Matthew, did nothing to calm her nerves. Earlier that day, Matthew had told her that she'd been selected for a special procedure, one that had been talked about since they'd arrived. She was going to be the first in a new line of super soldiers. And she wasn't sure if she was ready for that kind of responsibility.

Dr. Erskine walked in a while later, carrying with him a dark bottle and two shot glasses. He smiled at her, she nodded back. He sat on the bed across from her and looked at her.

"Can I ask a question?" Stevie asked.

"Just one?" Dr. Erskine asked, giving her a smile.

"Why me?" Stevie asked him. Dr. Erskine sighed softly.

"I suppose that is the only question that really matters." he said. So many people forget that the first country that the Nazi's invaded was their own. You know, after the last war the...my people struggled. They felt weak. They felt small. And then Hitler comes along with the marching and the big show and the flags and the…" he waved his hand dismissively. "And he hears of me, my work and he finds me. And he says, you… He says, you will make us strong. Well, I am not interested."

He sighed softly. "So he sends the head of Hydra, his research division. A brilliant scientist by the name of Johann Schmidt. Now, Schmidt is a member of the inner circle and he's ambitious. He and Hitler share a passion for occult power and Teutonic myth. Hitler uses his fantasies to inspire his followers. But for Schmidt it is not fantasy. For him, it is real."

He paused, as if reliving a memory. "He has become convinced that there is a great power in the earth, left there by the Gods, waiting to be seized by a superior man. So when he hears about my formula and what it can do, he cannot resist. Schmidt must become that superior man."

"Did it work?" Stevie asked quietly. "Did it make him stronger?"

"Yeah," Dr. Erskine said through a quick sigh. "But, the serum wasn't ready. There were… Unforeseen effects. The man wasn't ready either. The serum, it enhances everything. So good great. Bad becomes worse." he nodded towards Stevie as he poured out the contents of the bottle into the shot glasses. "This was why you were chosen. Because, a strong person that has known strength all their life will learn to not appreciate it. But a weak person knows the value of strength and also compassion and mercy."

"Thank you," Stevie paused, biting her lip. "I think."

Dr. Erskine smiled, handing her a glass. "Just promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are despite the change. Not a perfect soldier, but a good person, Stevie." Stevie nodded and smiled, raising her small glass.

"To the little guys," she said, going to take a drink.

"No, no, what are you doing?" Dr. Erskine said, a panicky look in his eyes as he grabbed the glass from her. "You have a procedure tomorrow, no fluids."

"Oh," Stevie said, frowning. "Right, sorry… Well, we can drink it tomorrow then."

"No, why should I have to wait, I don't have a procedure tomorrow." Dr. Erskine gave her a wry smile. "Drink it later? Pfft, I'll drink it now." With that, he downed both shots, patting Stevie on the shoulder. "Get some rest." Stevie nodded, watching him as he exited her tent.

She packed up her meager belongings she had with her, turning off her lantern. She curled up under the thin sheets of her bed, and tried to fall asleep. She had to be ready for the next day, the day everything would change for her.

(Author's Note: Another chapter come and gone, folks! I know this was a lot of dialogue in this one, but, hopefully, the next chapter will be a biiiiiiit more plot and thought and action heavy. After all, the procedure's in the next part. Hope y'all are enjoying the story, and, if not… Well, 'm still gonna write it. Cheers!)


	4. Chapter 4

(Author's Note: Another couple of days, another chapter. I'm currently writing this a good couple of days before this is going to be put up, and I really hope that you all are enjoying this. I'm actually working pretty hard on the story. As promised, here is the chapter with the procedure. I hope you all like it…!)

Stevie sat in the back of a car with Agent Matthew Carter. Tall and handsome, Stevie felt like she was in the shadow of an actor or some other famous person. It was almost as though she wasn't there. Matthew was looking over her file curiously as Stevie turned her attention out the window.

"I know this neighborhood," She mused. "I got beat up in that alleyway." she pointed. "And in that parking lot…" she sighed softly. "And behind that diner." She looked down at her lap, feeling Agent Carter's eyes drift in her direction.

"Did you have something against throwing in the towel?" he asked her. Stevie rubbed the back of her neck.

"If you start running, they'll never let ya stop," she said softly. "Can't say no forever if you stand up for yourself and push back, you know?"

"Can't say I know what it's like." Agent Carter said. "I'm sure you had a hard time with everyone shutting their doors in your face…"

"It's kinda hard to get anywhere without a pretty face or being a man." her eyes widened and she held up her hands. "Not that being a guy is bad, or unfair or- or anything, it's just… I'm sure you had no trouble getting a strong position being as handsome as you are, or- no, wait, I'm so sorry I…"

"You've no clue how to talk to a man, do you?" Matthew asked with a small smile.

"Honestly, I think this is the longest I've talked with one aside from my friend, Bucky." Stevie murmured, looking at the floor of the car. "Guys aren't exactly lining up to dance with a gal who they might step on."

"Surely you must've danced," Matthew said.

"With Buck a couple of times, sure," she said. "But, it was just to get me out and about, nothin' more." She shrugged. "Never worked up the nerve to ask anyone myself. And, past few years, found stuff that was more important to worry about. So, I figured I'd have to wait a while."

"Wait for what?" Matthew asked.

"The right partner." Stevie said, looking out the window as they approached their destination. Matthew looked at her, and then at her file, a small grin coming to his face.

"So, why are we here?" Stevie asked, noting that the place they had stopped at didn't exactly look like a lab… In fact, it was an antique shop. Matthew didn't answer, just waved for her to follow him in. Behind the counter was an older woman, maybe in her seventies. She smiled kindly at the two of them.

"Wonderful weather today," she mused. Matthew nodded.

"Yes, but I always carry an umbrella," he said to her. The woman walked a little ways down behind the counter and did something, and, suddenly, there was a click and the shelving units at the far end of the room opened to reveal a set of metal double doors, guards behind them. Matthew and Stevie walked in, heading into the laboratory where the procedure would be taking place.

Scientists milled around, along with technicians, army officials, a senator, Dr. Erskine, of course, and, someone that Stevie recognized almost immediately; Howard Stark. He was tinkering with a large dashboard that was connected by large cables to a containment unit, one that Stevie had a sinking feeling she was about to be put into.

"Stevie," Dr. Erskine said, smiling at her as she walked towards him. "I think you may recognize this man, Mr. Stark." he called him over. He smirked at her, sticking his hand out for her to shake.

"Rogers," he said, winking at her. "Hear you're about to become our first super soldier, kid. You ready for this?"  
"As ready as I'll ever be," she said quietly, but with an air of confidence.

"Good to know," he said. He turned to Dr. Erskine. "We're just about ready to go. Stevie, you might wanna get ready." She nodded, taking off her hat, handing it to Matthew, who held his hand out for it. She also slid off her jacket, revealing a white tank top beneath. When asked, she was allowed to keep it on. She let out a breath of relief, handing her jacket off to Matthew.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked her, looking down at the frail woman before him worriedly. "No one would blame you for backing out."

"I'm sure, Agent Carter." Stevie said. "I can do this. I'm a lot tougher than I look." her confidence was only on the surface though. Inside, she was worried out of her mind. But, thankfully, her little act satisfied Matthew. He was ushered up to a viewing area. He looked back at her one more time as she walked towards the capsule, and then continued up the stairs.

Dr. Erskine turned on his microphone, clearing his throat. "Is this on?" he said, tapping the mic. Once he'd confirmed that everyone could hear, he continued. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began. "Today, we take our first step not towards annihilation, but to peace. We begin with a series of microinjections into the subject, Stevie Rogers', major muscle groups. The serum's infusion will cause immediate cellular change. And then, to stimulate growth, the subject will be saturated with vita rays."

One of the doctors that had helped Stevie onto the contraption cleaned her arm with some disinfectant. He injected her with something and she winced. After the needle was removed, she sighed. "That wasn't so bad." Dr. Erskine looked at her worriedly.

"That was penicilline," he said quietly. Stevie glanced over at him with a concerned look. The machine began to whir, more needles in metallic arm-like parts approaching her arms and legs. She could feel the needles graze her skin as they locked into place.

"Three," Dr. Erskine counted down. "Two…" he looked at Howard, who began to turn on the power. The needles jabbed into her, and Stevie winced, biting back a whimper of pain. The front of the capsule began to cover Stevie, encasing her in metal. After a couple of moments, Dr. Erskine walked up to the capsule, gently tapping the side.

"Stevie," he said. "Are you alright?"

"I guess it's too late to ask to use the bathroom, huh?" she called from inside, still trying to maintain her false sense of confidence. Dr. Erskine nodded to Howard. He started to turn up the power, and light began to emit from the window in the capsule. After a few moments, a guttural scream came from inside the capsule. Stevie sounded like she was being hurt, and hurt badly. Matthew walked out of the viewing room, feeling worry grow in his chest.

"Shut it down…!" he called. The screaming continued, and even Dr. Erskine got worried then. He turned to Howard.

"Turn it off," he said. "Shut it down, now! Kill the reactor, Stark!"

"No!" everyone in the room turned towards the capsule. All the screaming had stopped, replaced by a desperate cry from Stevie. "Don't! I can do this!" They all looked to one another, deciding that they would continue the experiment. Dr. Erskine nodded to Stark, who continued to ramp up the power.

"75%," he said. "80%..." he continued to count up until they hit 100% power and everything began to spark and fizzle out. The room dimmed, even blacked out of all light at one point before the machines all began to whir to a stop. The door of the capsule slid open…

Before the procedure, Stevie had been small and frail. Barely reaching 5'0", and 90 pounds soaking wet, she had changed dramatically, almost as though she was a completely new person. Standing at 5'7" now, she no longer looked sickly, and, instead, had grown muscles in her previously atrophied limbs. She had filled out to what would be a healthy weight, and even the color in her face looked better. She was sweating a bit from the intensity of the procedure, and she was breathing heavily.

Stevie slumped over, but nurses and doctors, Stark and Matthew caught her as she fell forward. Matthew cupped her cheek, trying to get her to focus. "Stevie, Stevie, luv, look at me." she did, her vision swimming. "How do you feel?"

Stevie looked around, her breaths calming down quickly. "I feel taller…" she said. Matthew chuckled.

"Well, you certainly look taller…" he said.

"It worked, that's for damn sure," Howard said. All of the generals and officials were shaking each others' hands. A man approached the machine where Stevie had been transformed, examining the one remaining vial of serum. Dr. Erskine noticed, looking at him. The man looked over and pulled out a small gun, firing a round into the doctor's chest.

"No!" Stevie shouted. Matthew immediately drew his firearm. Before he had the chance to fire, though, the man who'd shot the doctor pressed a button on a lighter, causing the viewing room, recently cleared thankfully, to explode. He used the distraction to run out of the lab, shooting anyone that got in his way.

Stevie ran up to Dr. Erskine, cradling his head in her arms, looking at him with tears in her eyes. He wasn't going to make it. They both knew it. He reached a hand up to her, poking her sternum with a now cold finger, right over her heart. And then… He was gone. Stevie got up, laying him down. She took a deep breath and bolted up the stairs, in pursuit of the man who had killed one of the only people who had believed in her.

Stevie would've been impressed with how fast she was running had it not been for the circumstances. Dr. Erskine, the man who had chosen her to be America's hope for defeating the Nazis and Johann Schmidt, had been murdered in cold blood. And she'd made it her top priority to track down the man that'd shot him down and bring him in.

The man was quick, like a rat whose hovel had just been exposed. Stevie just had to be faster. Matthew Carter had ran up after him before Stevie had the chance to follow. He was in pursuit as well. When Stevie reached the top level of the lab, she looked out and saw that Carter was standing in the middle of the road, firing a gun at an approaching taxi.

"Matthew!" she yelled in worry, tackling him out of the way before the cab could run him over. Matthew sat up after Stevie got off of him.

"What were you thinking?!" he shouted. Stevie scrambled to her feet.

"Sorry…!" She shouted, taking off down the street after the cab. Her arms and legs pumped harder than they'd ever gone before, and she took off like a bullet. Her bare feet slapped against the asphalt, and passersby watched as she bolted. The cab took a hard right and Stevie had to turn too fast and ended up crashing into a window of a wedding dress shop. She apologized quickly and resumed her pursuit of the cab.

It took her almost no time at all to catch up. With a couple bounds and a high jump, she landed on top of the cab, clinging to it as the man inside attempted to shake her off. It wasn't long before Stevie heard the faint click of a gun from within. She yelped as a bullet whizzed past her shoulder. Another nearly clipped her forehead. Bullets flew, and Stevie remarkably dodged every single one.

In the man's attempt to shake her, he ran into another car, causing the taxi to spin out. Stevie leapt off the car in time to escape becoming one with the pavement. One of the car's doors spun off by her, nearly hitting her. She grunted as she got to her feet, seeing the man trying to get up on the other side of the boardwalk they had crashed on.

That's when she saw the gun. She grabbed for the car door, holding it up in front of her. She felt the impact as each bullet hit the door, praying that none of them went through. They didn't. The man emptied his clip into the door, and bolted off to the side. Stevie tossed the door aside and ran after him.

By the time she'd caught up to him, he'd gotten a new piece of leverage. A little girl. He held her against him, his arm pressed against the girl's neck tightly. Stevie held up her hands.

"Let the girl go," she said. The man grinned and carried her off. Stevie followed closely behind. The man ran with the girl along the dock, and, suddenly, threw her into the water below. The girl screeched in terror, crashing into the water below. Stevie took her eyes off of the man, heading towards the edge of the dock, about to jump into the water.

"Go!" the little girl said, treading water as she looked up at her. "I can swim! Go get 'im!" Stevie almost wanted to smile at the girl, but she had a job. She resumed her pursuit with a new fire in her gut.

The man seemed to be climbing into a small submarine. Stevie had spotted it mere moments before it submerged, taking the man with it. She dove into the water, in a speedy race to catch it. She kicked her feet wildly, catching up to the submarine as it started to speed up. She punched at the glass, where she could see the man inside. The glass shattered at first impact, filling the seating area with water. The man gagged as water entered his mouth. Stevie grabbed him by his shirt, tossing him onto the deck above, getting out herself. She saw the last of the blue serum surrounded by shattered glass. She figured that it had broken when she tossed him up.

She grabbed the man by the shirt as he tried to crawl away. She glared at him. "Who sent you?" She demanded. "Who do you work for?" The man smirked.

"Hydra," he said. "But I am only the first of many." Stevie was taken aback as he licked a tooth, which came off. He bit into it. It didn't take long for foam to begin developing in his mouth. Cyanide…! "Cut off one head, two more shall take its place." the man choked on the foam in his mouth. "Heil H-Hydra." he coughed and… He was gone.

Stevie dropped the man, taking a few deep breaths. She looked over at the cracked vial that once contained the last of the serum. It didn't hit her in that moment, but it would later that day… She was the only Super Soldier there was ever going to be.

(Author's Note: Well, there we go! Long chapter. The procedure is done, and Stevie is now the super soldier we all know and love. I know that I almost completely do the same lines as the actual movie. But, I promise, after this next chapter, I'll be doing mostly new lines with only a few from the original movie. I want to stay true to the movie but make it new and interesting at the same time. Hope y'all liked it. Cheers!)


	5. Chapter 5

(Author's Note: So sorry if this chapter seems really rushed. I fell behind because I came home for the weekend. First off, it's not that interesting of a chapter, so strike one. Secondly, it's late by almost two days. I'm so sorry, and I'll try to get this and another chapter for today (being Monday) Hope you all forgive me for this one! I promise it won't happen again!)

The colonel wouldn't so much as look at Stevie once she returned to the lab. He was trying to clear up the mess that'd been started the moment she had been transformed. She didn't blame him for not wanting to talk to her, but she wanted to know what she could do to help. She owed it to Dr. Erskine. As soon as they were done drawing her blood, she made her way to the colonel.

"Rogers, I don't wanna hear it," the colonel said as soon as Stevie came within five feet of him. "Carter and Stark are heading out with me as soon as we're done here. We're gonna start hunting Hydra down."

"And me, sir?" she asked expectantly.

"You're headed to a lab, Rogers," he said curtly.

"Sir, with all due respect-."

"With all due respect, I'm still not hearing it." the colonel said. "We've got a big problem here. Hydra just cost us more money than we have and the only hope for making any more soldiers. We'd have to put you through tests to see if we could recreate the serum, Erskine's idea died with him." he looked at Stevie with half-hearted contempt. "I asked for an army. All we got is you. The lab experiment. The softy. The nice gal from Brooklyn." he shook his head and walked off, talking with someone else from the military.

Stevie bit her lip, looking down. Matthew Carter walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright, Ms. Rogers?" he asked, looking at her worriedly. Stevie sighed, giving him a half-hearted shrug.

"No," she answered honestly. "But, there's nothing I can do."  
"That isn't true," Matthew said. "You're meant for so much more, you know." Stevie smiled and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Thank you, Agent Carter." she said. "But, it looks like I'm not… You heard the colonel. I'm a lab experiment. Nothing more." Stevie walked off before Matthew could say anything. But, God knew he wanted to…

As Stevie made for the exit, a man stopped her. He was wearing a suit, and looked like the definition of 'government official'. He smiled at her and she nodded in response. She wasn't in the mood for smiles that day.

"Ms. Rogers," he greeted, sticking a hand out. "My name's Senator Joseph Brandt. I'm from the USO."

"Sir," she said.  
"You're a hero, Ms. Rogers, do you know that?" He pulled a newspaper from behind him. She looked at the front page, seeing herself staring back at her from behind the taxi door she'd used as a shield. She blinked and her eyebrows quirked up. "This's been circulating all day, all over the city."

"Really…?" she breathed. She'd never been in the paper before.

"Really really," Senator Brandt said. "You know what I think? I think you're meant for something aside from sitting in a lab, waiting to see if we can recreate a miracle. Me opinion? I think you could do something extraordinary for your country, Ms. Rogers. What do you think?"

"Sir," Stevie looked at him resolutely. "Tell me what I can do."

Stevie stood outside of the theater, her heart thundering in her chest. She couldn't believe she was doing this. When she had volunteered for the military, she wanted to serve her country by fighting the good fight… This didn't seem like a fight at all.

"Five, six, seven, eight!" was what she heard as she took her first step in. Gals were on a stage, dancing all around it, others were off to the side with makeup artists or costume designers. Stevie groaned internally. She knew it was going to be a show, but… She hadn't expected all the stars and stripes.

The director turned around when he heard the doors open. He grinned. "If it isn't our leading lady!" he called. The music stopped, and all the dancers looked over. Stevie felt color rise to her cheeks as she made her way towards the stage. The director jumped down, holding out his hand to her. She took it, shaking it.

"It's so wonderful to meet you, Ms. Rogers," he said. "Please, make yourself at home. We'll show you the steps to the dance once you get settled." He climbed back up on stage, leaving Stevie to have worry pool in her gut. Dancing? She didn't know how to dance. The only person she'd ever danced with was Bucky.

Bucky... She hoped he was alright. He had been shipped out around a month ago, before she'd joined the army, before her procedure. The 107th was somewhere in the European war zone and she had no way of contacting him. The best she could do was have faith in her friend. And that worried her greatly.

"One, two," the man's voice brought her back to reality. She set down her small duffle bag, watching as the girls on stage get into btheir positions. The music began after the final eight count. The gals on stage were so graceful, and the way they so flawlessly moved around to the beat made Stevie nervous.

She watched the routine carefully, trying and ultimately failing to remember the moves. This wasn't going to end well, Stevie was certain of it. The director eventually asked Stevie to come up on stage and join the girls. Even with the promise of a slower tempo, Stevie wasn't very optimistic about her chances.

It took only one try for the director to realize that this new symbol of America's Bond Sales wasn't cut out for the dance. He'd heard that she used to be a smaller dame, but got some sort of superhero serum that made her into the hero they talked about in the papers. The clumsiness from what must've been a new body clearly showed, and the poor girl just didn't have any rhythm.

She would stop in the middle of the dance to apologize for stepping on someone's foot or bumping into them. She would even trip over her own two feet. The director sighed softly. He'd have to find something else for her to do, and quick.

For Stevie, the practice went on for an eternity. She felt like an imbecile, trying to dance along with the gals. They told her she was doing fine, but she knew they were just lying to make her feel better. They were all real nice, too, invited her to a diner they were all going to after practice let out.

Together, they walked to the diner, all fifteen of them. There were a couple guys, the director and one of the actors. They hadn't told Stevie who he was playing yet, keeping it a secret. "It's a surprise," the director would say. Stevie would nod, but her curiosity only grew.

She would laugh and eat with the gals, who'd talk about their boyfriends who were off at war. Stevie would listen to their stories of love letters coming in from them, and felt her heart ache for not only the girls but for the boys at war. Away from their gals for so long, it must've killed them.

Her thoughts, surprisingly to her at least, turned to Bucky. While the girls in the choir at church were always real nice to her, Bucky was the closest thing Stevie had to a friend. He was, in fact, her best friend. He was out there, like the rest of the fellas the girls were talk about, risking his life in defense of their country.

It killed her that she wasn't by his side.

She wondered why she felt such a tug on her heart. Bucky could handle himself, she knew that. But, still, she couldn't shake the feeling of dread and worry in her stomach. She covered it with a smile, not wanting anyone else to know of the turmoil occurring within.

(Author's Note: Yes, this chapter was awful. No, it won't happen again. Yes, the next chapter will be three-thousand words to make up for lost word count. Yes, I'm so sorry.)


	6. Chapter 6

(Author's Note: As promised, your three-thousand, same day as Chapter Five chapter (mini-mid-A/N-update; I spelled Chapter as "Capter" because I am a winner.)! Well, not same day exactly, but within the same 24 hour time period. Anyways, I hope you all get a kick out of Stevie making a fool of herself as I did when I failed on keeping up my chapter-uploading consistency. Enjoy, enjoy, I love all of you who read this.)

"I don't know if I can do this…" Stevie said to herself, looking in the mirror. She'd never been this nervous in her entire life. Not going into fights in back alleys, not out dancing with Bucky as other gals glared daggers at her, not trying to enlist in the army, not even being in the army. This was a new and advanced kind of fear that she wasn't prepared for.

"Try not to think about it too much, kid," a man came up behind her, giving her shoulder a tight but encouraging squeeze. "Just tell em what they need to know; the show advertises bonds, bonds buy bullets, bullets kill Nazis. Simple and clean, no gimmicks."

No gimmicks, Stevie thought to herself disdainfully. Sure, this was as serious as one could get about this war effort.

She grabbed her own ponytail, dragging it through a small opening in the back of her costume mask. She frowned at her reflection. She didn't have enough time to really think about how foolish she looked when she heard her cue… The light fanfare did nothing to soothe her anxiety… And slight disgust.

She ran towards the stage, grabbing her prop on the way out. A shield. According to the director, the papers had been obsessed with what he called "the money shot", her holding a taxi cab door when she'd hunted down the Hydra spy that'd murdered Dr. Erskine and cost the rest of the country a chance at making more super soldiers.

Stevie had looked at the picture multiple times. She almost couldn't believe it was her. But, when she looked in the mirror, she would see the same face staring back at her from the reflection. Stevie thought the whole thing surreal.

Shield in hand, she ran out into the fray of girls dancing on stage. She took the center, looking out. It was her first show. The crowd was gargantuan, she almost wanted to throw up. Kids were piled into the first couple of rows and she saw their expectant faces. She put on a smile, just for them.

"Who's strong and brave here to save the American way?" the girls prompted through a song. Stevie almost jumped, looking down as her line came up. She looked down at the back of her shield. For the first show, the director had let her have her script on her.

"Uh," she coughed. "Not all of us can fire a gun, or pilot a plane." she addressed the crowd. "But, War Bonds can help put a bullet in the barrel of your… Your best guy's gun." She almost shrank behind her shield as the music nearly cut her off. She was definitely not cut out for show business, that much was clear.

The song continued, and she felt her cheeks grow even redder as the time went on. She screwed up most of her lines, stumbling over them like she was trying to walk down a staircase in the dark. The gals behind her, wonderful, wonderful people that they were, gave the crowd smiles and confidence that Stevie just could not provide.

However, there was one particular part of the show that she enjoyed. It was a surprise for all of the kids who didn't know the show. It took all of Stevie's willpower to not grin about what was about to happen. She steeled herself, determined to not let the surprise slip.

"Now, our enemy is sneaky," she said. She'd practiced this line with her co-star enough to know this part like the back of her hand. "So, we must have constant vigilance. Nothing can slip by us."

Cue the kids.

"Behind you-!"

"Look out!"

"Cap'in, look out!" Stevie grinned, turning around and swinging a fake right hook at a man dressed up as Adolf Hitler. He dropped to the ground in heap to the extreme delight of the children in the first row. They cheered as she saluted them, finishing her speech about how much buying War Bonds would help the troops. She let out a sigh of relief when the curtains finally dropped.

She walked over to "Hitler", holding out a hand to him. He peeked open an eye and grinned up at Stevie. "You doin' alright?" she asked, giving him a pout. "Didn't hit you too hard, did I?"

"Hardly," he said in a fake German accent that made Stevie snort out a chuckle. He grinned at her, taking her hand, pulling himself up. "You seem to enjoy that part of the show a bit too much, Rogers," he said in his normal voice. He was probably from somewhere in New York, Stevie thought. Queens, maybe. His accent was there, but faint.

The guy's actual name was Thomas. Thomas Parker. He was a nice enough guy. Both he and Stevie had lucked out in a way. Neither of them had to sing or dance throughout the entire production. The two had become real good friends while they sat on the sidelines. He'd even helped her learn some of her lines.

She remembered back to one of the practice runs they'd done on the show. Stevie had never taken an acting class. She didn't know how to act out a fight. And, when someone snuck up behind her, it usually meant she was in a fight. She remembered the first time they'd done the part where she had to "punch" him. She had read the script, sure, but she didn't ever know exactly when it was coming. The director had called, "Now!" and it had startled her. She swung around, and had clipped Thomas on the nose. Whether it was out of sheer dumb luck or some other outside force sparing the cartilage within, Thomas' nose hadn't broken.

Stevie didn't think she'd ever apologized more in her entire adult life than she had as Thomas got looked at by a gal who worked part time as a nurse. She'd said sorry in every which way she knew how. Thomas had insisted that he was fine and eventually got Stevie to calm down. She'd taken him out for drinks afterwards.

"Eh, it's all for the kids," she said. She was about to say more when one of the stage hands told her that people wanted to see her, have her sign autographs and stuff of that ilk. She turned to her "arch-nemesis" and waved a bit. "See you around?" he nodded.

"See you, Captain America," he said, walking off stage to no doubt take the make up off of his face. Stevie smiled as he walked away, heading out to greet the crowd. Back to work, she thought to herself.

Stevie always thought she'd be a great nanny. She didn't think she'd ever meet a fella who'd want to make a wife out of her, so she had settled on the idea that, if her dreams of being an artist failed, she could always go into being a nanny or teacher or anything that had to do with children. She didn't know if it was because she was always so small and frail, but she related to the kids she saw in the crowd. She couldn't imagine what it would be like, hearing all about this war at such a young age. She was barely two years old by the time the first World War ended. To grow up in a time of war had to have some sort of an effect on these kids. She was determined to make a positive impact on the kids of the day.

So, it didn't matter in that moment that she looked like an idiot. It didn't even matter that she felt like an idiot. It was the right thing to do. So, still in the costume that made her look pretty silly, she approached the waiting fans with a smile on her face.

The crowd, somehow, seemed larger when she was off of the stage. The kids from the front rows all jostled amongst one another to see her. Stevie felt her cheeks flush at the idea that they were all so excited to see her. She had been a nobody for her entire life. To be someone that people actually wanted to see? It was a new feeling that she feared she'd never get used to.

A little girl was near the front of the line. Small, couldn't be more than five years old, with the cutest little braids Stevie'd ever seen, she clutched a small American flag in one chubby hand, a piece of crumpled paper and a pen in the other. Stevie knelt down in front of her.

"Hello," she said, giving the girl a smile. The girl looked at her with her big brown eyes. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Rosie," the girl said after a few moments of shy silence. Stevie's smile grew a little.

"Rosie, what a cute name." Rosie held out her pen and paper. Stevie took it and smiled, using her shield as a clipboard of sorts. She quickly sketched out Rosie, a couple of pen strokes that didn't really do this young girl's cuteness justice. But, the smile that came to Rosie's shy face was enough for Stevie. She signed her name, with a "To Rosie" at the bottom. She handed it back to her and the girl scampered off. Stevie stood and looked at the other dozens of kids waiting to meet her. It was going to be a long meet and greet.

To meet with every kid, mother with a baby, or young man that had wanted to see her, Stevie was there for two and a half hours. Had she been the way she used to be, the effort of standing that long would've winded her, not to mention holding babies, hugging kids, or chatting with some soldiers about to be shipped off. But, much to her surprise, as the last kid ran towards his mom, yelling about how he'd gotten to meet a superhero, she had never felt so relaxed.

Senator Brandt had come to the first show. One of the men that ran the theater where the show was held told her that he had wanted to talk with her, but since she insisted on meeting everyone else that wanted to see her, he had gone home. He would give her a call in the morning.

Thomas had hung around with her. She walked over to him and stretched. "How do ya think we did on our first show?" she asked him. He grinned and looked at Stevie.

"Think we did okay, don't you?" he said. "Want to head out for a drink?" Stevie shook her head. "Aw, c'mon, Rogers."

"Sorry, Mr. Parker," she said. "I've gotta rest up. Senator Brandt wanted to talk to me in the morning, and I'd rather have my wits about me when I do." Thomas nodded, understanding pretty quickly.

"Sure," he said. "Next time, then." Stevie smiled at him and went backstage to grab her things.

Stevie caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she entered her dressing room. Since the procedure, she hadn't really had the chance to get a real good look at what had happened to her. Sure, she'd seen the photo of herself hiding behind her taxi door shield, but that was mainly just her head down to her shoulders.

She took off her mask first. She felt the ponytail she had pulled her hair up with come off as she took the mask off. Her golden brown hair tumbled about her shoulders. The gals at church always commented that she had nice hair, but, Stevie thought it was too long most days. It'd grown a couple inches since she was enlisted. She made a mental note to get a haircut.

Her face was the next thing that caught her attention. What used to be a thin, pale, and drawn looking face was now filled out to what could be considered normal, the color in her face was that of someone healthy, and the bags under her eyes had all but vanished. Stevie brought a hand up to her nose, touching the tip gingerly. Due to her poor circulation, her nose had always felt like an ice cube. A pleasant warmth now radiated from it, and she smiled a little.

The last thing she wanted to do was look at the rest of herself in the mirror. As she stripped off her costume, leaving her in a white tank top and her unmentionables. She remembered back home that she looked haunting when her reflection stared back at her. Her bones looked as though they were just below the surface of her paper thin skin. Her skin was always pale, always cold. When she breathed in, she was able to count her ribs. On a bad day, she could actually see her heart beat.

But, now, she had filled out. Her body that used to look like a pencil had now turned into an hourglass figure. She had always been jealous of the gals back home had curves that were on all the magazines. Now, she could be one of those girls on the covers of those magazines.

She wondered, briefly and much to her surprise, how Bucky'd like her now. The gals he'd always take on his exploits were pretty and curvy, everything Stevie wasn't. But, the way she looked in the mirror that night, she knew that the dresses she longed to wear would fit her well. Maybe well enough to win the attention of-.

Whoa, she thought. Calm down there, Rogers. She shook her head. Bucky would never go for someone like her. They had been friends for so long, to go out as a couple? Stevie knew it wouldn't work out. He'd be sitting in the crowd as he married some lucky gal, and she'd have to wear that fake smile, and she'd have to pretend to be happy for them…

 _Pretend_ to be happy? Stevie ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head. How could she even say that to herself? If her best friend was happy, she should be happy for him, whether he was with her or not. But, what worried her was whether or not she could do it, and why it would be so difficult.

Was it because…?

She felt heat rise to her cheeks. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, shaking her head in an attempt to free herself from the thought. Of all the stupid things to be thinking about in a time of war and suffering, she was concerning herself with matters of the heart. She couldn't afford to think that way.

Not yet anyways…

Stevie walked to her apartment. It was late at night and she wasn't exactly worried about getting jumped by anyone. It was a weeknight and almost midnight. She was confident that she was alone. She looked up at the sky, and all she could think about was how much her life had changed in the past month.

Before, she would've been petrified to be walking by herself, without Bucky or the choir girls from church. She would've been exhausted by now, winded from so much walking and anxiety. She would've called a cab. But, now, she was walking by herself, and felt a confidence she hadn't felt in her entire life. She had to admit, it was bizarre.

She reached her apartment a little after 12:30, climbing up the stairs and smiling as she felt her key in her pocket. She hadn't forgotten it this time. She unlocked her door and walked into the apartment for the first time in months. The last night she'd been here was the night she'd been finally enlisted.

Stevie took a shower once she placed her duffle bag on her sofa. She felt the sweat from the show melt away, felt the grime fall from her hair with the water. She toweled herself off and walked into her bedroom. She frowned. Her clothes wouldn't fit her anymore. She hadn't thought about that.

Grimacing in her towel, she glanced at the duffle bag. She'd have to wear her clothes from the day. She grabbed her tank top and her khaki pants, slipped them on before crawling into her bed.

As she laid her head down, a realization hit her like a speeding truck. She wasn't the same. She would never be the same. And, she thought, she was the only one who would ever be this way. The last of the serum Dr. Erskine had made was lost, seeping into the cement on a dock somewhere.

The tears came before she knew what was happening. Slow at first, but steadily becoming streams cascading down her cheeks. She covered her mouth, smothering the weak cries that escaped her lips. Her eyes squeezed shut and she tossed and turned in her bed. She was usually stronger than this, what had gone wrong?

Her physical weakness, she eventually figured, was her greatest strength. Because she was so feeble before, her confidence and her mental strength had to make up for lost space. But, now that she was the strongest she could be, Stevie lost her confidence in herself. Dr. Erskine had been right; being the person she was, she knew not only the value of strength, but the price of it… And it was losing the person that she used to be.

Senator Brandt called her very early the next morning. Stevie had been up all night, panicking, crying, wondering what her life would amount to now that she had changed. She heard the phone ringing in the next room, but it took a couple of rings for her to get moving. Unsteadily, she rose out of bed, heading to the apartment's main area, where the phone sat on a table. She picked it up.

"Stevie Rogers," she greeted, trying to mask her anxiety and drowsiness.

"Rogers, this is Brandt." the Senator sounded a lot better than Stevie felt. "Kid, the show last night was a hit. Newspapers came out this morning with reviews and bond sales are going through the roof. You did it, Rogers, you really did it…!"

"That's excellent news, sir," Stevie said with fake enthusiasm.

"We've got another show scheduled for next week in Chicago," he said. "We'll be tourin' the country in no time! Just you wait, we'll really make a difference in this war. I can feel it, kid. I'll see you at the theater!" With that, the Senator hung up. Stevie held the phone in her hand, taking a deep breath.

More shows, she thought. Wonderful.

(Author's Note: Welp, it's done! I don't know where this chapter was going, still don't in fact. Don't really know where Thomas came from, and he probably won't show up again. BUT, I hope that you all liked this chapter! We're headed to Europe next chapter, so be prepared!)


	7. Chapter 7

(Author's Note: Here we are at Chapter Seven! Dang, it doesn't feel like it's been that long, but, hey, we've made it! Time for a little more drama and talking and possible romance? … No, probably not, maybe just hinting at it.)

Stevie had never dreamed of seeing so many places in her life. Of course, before her procedure, she never dreamt she'd live past thirty, let alone leave her little niche of Brooklyn. She'd since seen places all over the country, Orlando, Chicago, Washington D.C., numerous other locations, so many that they all blurred together.

There were movies as well. Stevie had always liked going to the theaters back in Brooklyn but, never in her wildest dreams did she think that she'd ever star in a movie. She was at the front lines of fake battle scenes, men following her into battle. She rarely spoke in the movies, only waved her arms for the other soldiers to follow her. She shot at enemies and was there purely to be an advertisement in the film industry. She didn't care for it very much herself, though, the cheering crowds at the premiers would always force a little smile onto her face.

After touring and filming for almost two months, Senator Brandt informed the entire crew that they were headed overseas. The soldiers needed a boost in morale. Stevie felt that was stating the obvious a bit too much even for her.

The trip to Europe hadn't taken long. What did was the approach to the base camp. Miles and miles of war torn countryside passed by as they drive. Stevie felt her heart ache as she saw homes decimated by gunfire or mortar shells. She didn't want to know how many people had died, had been left parentless, homeless… The numbers were too hard to even imagine.

When they arrived at base camp, Stevie immediately spotted Agent Carter. She felt color rise to her cheeks and she sighed softly. The man was handsome, she'd give him that. Tall, too, about as tall as Bucky. Stevie wondered what it'd be like to go dancing with him. But, she turned away, and reminded herself that she shouldn't be thinking about finding a dance partner. She should've been worrying about the soldiers she was about to meet.

"So," Stevie stood in the middle of the stage, her hands quivering. "W-Who wants to help me sock ol' Adolf in the jaw?"

She looked out at the crowd of weary soldiers. All of them looked like they'd been through hell. Most of them were injured, none of them looked happy to see her. She wasn't happy to see herself most days while doing this. She must've looked like a total joke.

"Um," Stevie cleared her throat.

"Lookin' good, sweetheart!" a soldier called from the crowd. Stevie felt color rise to her cheeks at the jeer.

"You just gonna stand there, or are you gonna dance for us, too?"

"Come on!"

"Bring back the pretty ones!"

Stevie glanced back at the stagehands, who shook their heads idly, not sure what to do themselves. She was glad she wasn't alone in her helplessness. She turned her attention back to the crowd. "Uh, I think the girls only know the one song… Let me…" She started to walk off stage as men started to laugh and wolf whistle. The gals gave Stevie reassuring pats on the back before running on stage, much to the delight of the soldiers. Stevie, however, had never felt more useless.

Stevie put a jacket over her uniform as quickly as she could. She ripped the mask off, surprising herself when she actually tore it a bit. She looked at the fabric in her hands, making a mental note to stitch it up later. Or maybe she wouldn't.

She hated this get up. It wasn't revealing like the gals that danced had to wear. It may as well have been, though. What she was to everyone that served, anyone that could see past the fanfare and advertisements could see what this outfit was. A joke. A mockery of what these men were doing for their country. And she realized then that she despised every single moment she was on that stage.

Tossing her mask to the side, setting her shield over it, she walked out of the tent. All of the soldiers were still focused on the gals dancing on stage. She meandered over to a free area, away from the stage, away from the soldiers, away from as many things as she could without leaving the camp. She looked up as it started to rain, planting herself under an area of tent, pulling out her sketchbook.

She thought back to her time before the war had started, before her mother had died. She'd been enrolled in an Art School. She'd never thought much of her drawings, but everyone around her had pushed her to go, to further her skills. Stevie had and it was the best decision of her life at the time. She had learned a lot and had discovered that drawing helped her collect her thoughts, convey them, and release them without hurting anyone or anything besides maybe the trees that the pages came from.

After the realization that what she was doing on stage did nothing to help the effort, that nothing she'd been doing for the USO was making any real difference, she needed that emotional and creative release. And so, she started to draw.

Matthew Carter eventually found Stevie. She was focused on something in her lap, a pencil moving back and forth. He had noticed a quirk of hers that day, back during the training to decide who would become their super soldier, when she had gotten to ride back to camp in the car. She drew when she was nervous. She drew when she was upset. She drew when she wasn't sure what to do.

He walked over to her, somehow not disturbing her concentration as his boots squelched in the mud below. Carter decided to look at what she was drawing. The image she'd sketched made him grimace and yet, he knew why she was doing it.

It was a monkey. A monkey with her shield, making a mockery of itself. And Matthew didn't have to ask why she was drawing that.

"Ms. Rogers," he prompted, startling her. He felt badly, he'd made her pencil scratch on the paper. She looked up at him, her cheeks a little flushed. He found himself smiling a little.

"Agent Carter," she said, not closing the sketchbook. She must've figured that he'd already seen what she drew. "What can I do for you?"

"What are you doing?" Matthew asked her. Stevie looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "You're sitting here, wasting away. I know you aren't happy." Stevie looked like she was about to say something. "Please, for the love of God, don't say anything about bond sales going up because of your tours, you aren't happy. It's alright to not be happy, you know."

"It's all I can do," she said softly, looking down. "It's either this or a lab."

"You know that's not true, luv," Matthew said. "You want to fight, I can see it in your eyes. These men, they had that same fire in their eyes… And then, when they went in, they lost hope." the two of them looked over as a man was carried to the infirmary.

"What happened?" Stevie asked.

"Hydra attack," Matthew said. "We were supposed to get in and out, no problem, but Hydra got the jump on them. Most of the men were either killed or captured. Your audience today?" he sighed. "They're what was left of the 107th-."

"The 107th?" Stevie got to her feet. "Did you say the 107th?"

"Yes," Matthew looked at her worriedly. "Why?" Stevie ran off towards the colonel's tent. She only had one word, one name, one person on her mind.

 _Bucky_.

"Colonel?" Stevie barged into the tent without permission. The colonel was sitting at a desk, writing on some pieces of paper. Stevie guessed they were letters to send home to the families of fallen soldiers. Not a fun job, Stevie was sure, but not one that she cared about at that moment, not when she wasn't sure where her best friend was.

"Well, if it isn't our Star Spangled gal in spandex," the colonel said. "What can I do for you today, Captain?" He said the rank with disdain. Stevie didn't particularly enjoy the title herself, but she wasn't in the mood. She saw Matthew run in out of the corner of her eye.

"I need to know the names of the MIA soldiers from the 107th," she said, not breaking eye contact.

The colonel raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't take orders from you." he turned to Matthew. "You and I are going to have a discussion that you won't enjoy, Carter."

"Please, sir, I just want one name," she said. "James Buchanan Barnes." She started to spell out his last name when the colonel stopped her. He took a deep breath.

"Look, Rogers," he said, getting up. "War isn't pretty. Being a good man means jack shit when you're getting shot at from both friend and foe because no one knows who the hell they're supposed to be trying to kill." he looked down at the stack of letters on the table. "I've signed more of these letters today than I'd like to count… But your boy's name sounds familiar." he looked at her and, for the first time, she saw emotion in those eyes, and it was sympathy. "I'm sorry." Stevie clenched her fists a bit, biting her lip. She looked up at him.

"What about the POWs?" she prompted. "What's your plan to get them out?"

"Winning the war's our only option," the colonel said. "Hydra's got tech we're just not ready for, we'd lose more men than we'd save if we go in. So, we fight the good fight. And hope that we get there in time."

"That's not an option I'm willing to accept," Stevie said.

"You're not in the position to accept or deny anything, Rogers," he snapped. "And, if I read your schedule correct, you've got a show to dance for in thirty minutes. Now, I'd suggest you get going." Stevie glared at him and then out at the stage.

"You're right, sir," she said. "I do have somewhere to be." She spun on her heel and left the tent. Oh, she had somewhere to be. And she'd get there by herself if she had to.

(Author's Note: Whoo hoo, another chapter up and ready to go! Can't wait to write the next one. I really hope you all are enjoying the story so far, I'm really trying to stray from the script. I think it's getting better as time goes on. Anywho, until next time, Cheers!)


	8. Chapter 8

(Author's Note: WELL I'M HORRIBLE. I'm so sorry this chapter wasn't on time. I try to do this once every two days, I really do, but I just keep falling behind! I hope you all like this chapter, it took me a long time. To those of you sticking with this, thank you so much. I can't tell you how much it means to me. Well, without any further adieu, let's go save Bucky!)

"What are you going to do?" Matthew walked after Stevie as she stormed towards the show's tent. Stevie didn't answer him. Her attention was all focused inside her head, making a plan, step by step how she'd go about doing this by herself. The first thing she needed was her shield.

She walked into the tent, grabbing the prop. Unlike what one would assume, they actually gave her a metal shield. For stage performances, she always assumed there would be fakes for her to carry. But, the studios from the movies had given her one with a realistic weight to it, and she managed to let them let her keep it after she'd finished filming the last commercial.

As she picked it up, she saw her mask. Flimsy. Cloth. Not helpful. She turned away from it, spotting the helmets the gals wore on stage. She knew they were metal as well. She grabbed one, hoping it was one of the extras, not one that one of them would need. She briskly walked out as she put it on her head, almost running into Agent Carter.

"Stevie," he said. "Please, think about this for a moment. What are you doing to do, walk across the country?"

"If I have to," she said, not looking at him. "I'm not going to let all those men die while we wait for the war to finish. If I can do something, I will. And I don't think that you're gonna stop me."

"Of course not," Matthew said. "I'm going to help you. Follow me." He took her arm, leading her towards another tent. He didn't announce himself, and just walked in. "Howard, are you in?"

Howard Stark was working on a motorcycle, and sat up from underneath the vehicle. There was a grease smudge on his cheek and his hair was disheveled. "Hey, Matty. Oh, Ms. Rogers. What can I do for ya?"

Matthew sighed. "Well, Captain America here wants to run into a HYDRA base all by herself." he said. Stevie looked at him, offended. "We were hoping that you could help us out. I know that you're a civilian pilot-."

"Whoa, whoa," Stevie raised a hand. "I'm not bringing you two into this. It's my decision to go in."

"Do you even know where they are?" Matthew snapped. Stevie was about to say something when she found that she really had no idea where the HYDRA base was. She wouldn't have had any clue she would've had to go. "They're in Austria. Two countries over. And you're not going to be walking there. We're taking you."

"You two could get into a lot of trouble," Stevie tried to reason.

"We don't care," Howard said. "We don't like this whole waiting game the colonel is making us play. You're stepping up and doing what's right and that's why I joined up at least." he wiped his hands clean of grease. "So, we flying out now?"

"As soon as we can," Matthew said. "We've no time to waste."

The plane ride was a bit rickety for Stevie's taste. But, it would be worth it if it meant saving those soldiers. Enemy cannon fire rocked the plane and Stevie had to shut her eyes, it reminded her a bit too much of the rides at Coney Island, the ones Bucky would make her go on, even if they'd make her sick.

"We'll drop you off at the front door," Matthew said over the noise. He handed her a transponder. "Ues this when you're ready to get taken out of there. We'll be there within thirty minutes and we'll bring the cavalry."

Stevie sighed softly. "You guys just get me as close as you can, I don't want you getting in danger because of me."

"Hey, Matty," Howard called from the front seat. "If we have time after this, we should pick up a couple of dames for a late night fondue. Sound like fun?" Matthew sighed softly, looking down. Stevie bit her lip, looking at Matthew.

"Fondue, huh?" she asked softly. Matthew sighed softly.

"We should be there soon-." he almost finished before a large spray of cannonfire exploded just outside the thin walls of the plane. It rocked them almost completely to one side. Howard had to have just missed the shot.

Stevie got up, grabbing her parachute. "You guys turn around as soon as I'm clear!" she shouted over the noise. Matthew got up, unsteadily following her as she went to the door of the plane, opening it.

"You're crazy!" he said. "We're going to fly you in, this isn't safe!"

"I told you to get to safety after I'm cleared!" Stevie shouted.

"You can't give me orders!"

"'course I can!" Stevie grinned as she finished fastening her parachute. "I'm a captain, remember?" With a confident wink, she jumped out, pulling the chute as she fell down into the European countryside.

Stevie ran through the woods nearing the Hydra base. There were trucks coming in and she figured that was her way in. She waited as each truck went by, three in total. She ran behind the last one, jumping in. There were two guards in black combat gear and masks and they looked at her.

"Hey, fellas," she said. They lunged at her. She fought them off, knocking them both out of consciousness and out of the vehicle. She sat in the rocking truck, hoping that the driver didn't notice his fallen comrades in the mirrors or that there'd be a check at the entrance.

Thankfully, she was lucky that day. The trucks drove right into the base, and parked right outside the main building. Stevie heard footsteps approaching. She raised her shield up, seeing the curtains of the back of the truck open. A guard looked in and she hit him with the metal plate, sending him flying back. She hopped out and went inside.

It didn't take her long to find a line of prisoners being led back to their cells. She checked over her shoulder before following them from a distance to avoid detection from the guards. There had to be a couple dozen just in this line. She knew there were about 150 prisoners, maybe more… They had to be back in the cell area… She scanned the line for Bucky. She didn't see him.

She waited at the door when the prisoners were led in. She saw them being led down the stairs into a lower area, into cages that went to the ceiling. Men were trapped within them, herded together like cattle. She grimaced as she saw the state of them. They looked like they'd been to hell and back.

She knocked out various guards, making sure the room was clear before she clambered down the stairs. She had grabbed the keys to the cages off of one of the guards. She went over to a cage, ignoring the looks of confusion from the prisoners. She unlocked the door and opened it.

"Who the hell are you?" A beefy man with a large moustache asked. Stevie looked at him.

"I'm, uh…" she cleared her throat. "I'm Captain America." she said, cursing the crack in her voice. "I'm here to get you all outta here." She tossed the keys to one of the other guys. "Get these men outta here."

"All of em?" the mustached guy looked at a man who looked to be of Asian descent. The guy glared at him.

"I'm from Fresno, Ace," he snapped.

"Fellas," Stevie prompted. "I'm looking for a prisoner, James Barnes? Is he here?" A few guys perked up at the name. They must've been in his unit.

"He got taken to Zola's lab," an African American guy said. "No one comes back from that. He might still be alive, but, I wouldn't get my hopes up." Stevie felt her heart lurch. A lab? She hoped to God that Bucky was okay…

"I'm gonna go find him," she said. "You all get out there and give 'em hell."

"You sure you know what you're doing?" the Asian guy said. Stevie grinned.

"Course I do," she said. "I've punched Adolf Hitler in the face 200 times." The men looked at her, as if trying to decide if she was serious or not. Before they had the chance to figure it out, she ran off, determined to find Bucky… Before it was too late.

She fought her way to find the lab. There seemed to be Hydra guards coming out of the cracks in the walls. The newly liberated prisoners fought most of them off, but she used her gun and shield to fight her way through. She was shot at and actually felt a bullet hit something. She panicked, thinking she was shot. Though, when she checked, she saw that the transponder that Matthew had given her was now rendered completely useless. Guess she'd have to find another way back.

The halls were labyrinthian in design. It was almost like they wanted everyone to get lost in them. She looked around in every room, hoping to find Bucky or this Zola guy. He had to be somewhere. She didn't want to believe that Bucky was… She couldn't even think the word.

As she ran down one hall, seeing a short man in big glasses take off the other way. She narrowed her eyes. Was this guy Zola? She was about to chase after him when she heard a faint muttering coming from the room he'd just come out of. She made a decision. Zola could wait.

"-uchanan Barnes, 32557038…" a voice that sounded so familiar, yet so broken… Stevie didn't want to hope. She ran over to the source. Her eyes widened. "Sergeant… James Buchanan Barnes, 32557038…"

There he was. Bucky. Her best friend. Strapped to a chair, looking like the devil himself had chewed him up and spat him out, he was repeating his name and number over and over again, a mantra no doubt keeping him rooted to the earth.

"Oh my god…" Stevie breathed, running to him, looking him over. "Oh, God, Bucky…" His glossed over eyes drifted in her direction, familiarity bringing life to his face.

"Stevie…?" he said quietly.

"Yeah, it's me," she gave him a smile to reassure him. "It's me, Bucky." she started to frantically rip the restraints off of Bucky. He didn't sit up immediately, just lulled to the side a little before Stevie helped him. "Oh god, Bucky, I thought you were dead…"

Bucky grabbed onto her arms as she helped him to his feet. He looked her up and down, now eye level with her. He furrowed his eyebrows. "I thought you… were smaller…" She cracked a small smile, helping him out of the room. As she was walking out, her eye caught sight of a map, showing what looked to be the other Hydra bases across Europe. She made a mental note to remember as much as she could as she walked Bucky out of the room.

"What happened to you?" Bucky asked weakly.

"I joined the army," Stevie answered, looking around.

"Did it hurt?"

"A bit."

"Is it permanent?"

"So far," she looked down the hall. She was about to head that way when a large chain of explosions started to go off. They both stumbled down the halls, looking for an exit. They eventually made it out to a large room. A bridge spread out across a large gap below. She was about to run with Bucky across it when two men appeared on the other side. One was the man she saw run out of the room with Bucky in it; Zola. Stevie glanced at Bucky. He was glaring daggers at Zola, looking as though he was about to either lunge at the man or throw up. Stevie figured that Zola had been using Bucky as a guinea pig for his twisted experiments.

The other was a man in a black trench coat with a Hydra pin clipped to it. She had to figure this man was Johann Schmidt.

"Ah, Captain America!" he called, walking out onto the bridge. "How exciting is this? I am a huge fan of your films, Fräulein." Stevie felt an angry blush rise to her cheeks as she walked to meet him on the bridge. "I see Erskine managed to perfect his serum. Though, I must say I am disappointed. Not much of an improvement." She punched him in the face with all her strength, sending the man spiraling backwards.

"Not improved, huh?" she said, narrowing her eyes. Schmidt grinned.

"Let's see." he threw a punch towards Stevie. She raised her shield up, seeing the indent of Schmidt's fist on the other side of the metal. Her eyes widened. She held up her gun, but Schmidt hit it and sent it flying in the chasm below. She instead used her shield to hit him back.

Zola pushed a button, splitting the bridge as either side went back to their respective side. Schmidt regained his composure and grinned. "You are deluded, Captain." he said the term with a snarky tone. "You pretend you're just another soldier. When, in reality, you are just afraid to admit that you and I have left humanity behind." He started to pull at his face, the skin coming off. Stevie was about to yell in disgust when she saw something.

Red. The man's face was red beneath what had been a mask. It looked terrifying.

"You don't have one of those, do you…?" Bucky muttered next to her.

"If you're not afraid, why are you running?" Stevie pressed. Schmidt ignored her, running off with Zola not too far behind. She watched them go, wanting to run after them, but, the thought was interrupted as another explosion rocked the room.

"We've gotta go," Bucky said. She nodded, helping him up the stairs, getting to higher ground. The fire was spreading fast. They found a beam that lead across to an escape hatch. It looked rickety but safe enough for at least one of them to get across. Stevie turned to Bucky.

"You go first." she said, helping him over the railing. Bucky steeled himself, slowly making his way across. Stevie watched him, worried. The beam began to buckle. Stevie felt herself panic a bit. Bucky ran the rest of the way, jumping as the beam broke. He clung to the other side of the scaffolding. He looked around desperately.

"There's gotta be a rope or something, Stevie!" he shouted across the gap.

"Just get outta here!" Stevie said. "Meet up with the others! Go, Bucky!"

"No, not without you!" Bucky planted his feet firmly on the other side. He wasn't moving. Stevie groaned internally. He was always so damned stubborn. She looked around, pulling back part of a broken railing. It left an opening big enough for her to run and jump from… It was as much of a leap of faith as anything she'd ever done.

She backed up as far as she could before getting a running start. At the very edge, she jumped. She saw flames below her and prayed she would make the jump. She felt her hands grasp the edge of the scaffolding, and she pulled herself up. She tumbled onto it, and into Bucky's open arms.

"Stevie," he said softly. "You made it…" She opened her eyes - she hadn't realized they were closed - and looked at him. She didn't say anything. She just wrapped her arms around him tightly. He hugged her back, sighing softly. "We've gotta go. This place is about to get blown to hell…" Stevie nodded, and the two of them ran off to join the other soldiers. It was time to get these boys home.

(Author's Note: Again, I am so sorry. As an apology, I'll put up another floof in a couple hours. I hope you all liked this one, it took a while (as you can see). Love you all, hope you enjoyed. Cheers!)


	9. Chapter 9

(Author's Note: I can do this! I can write chapters on a two days between each one schedule, I promise! I am also a liar since this is days late! I hope you all are enjoying the story so far! Heaven knows I'm ready to move on from this one, ha ha. No, in truth, this is a lot of fun. It's giving me an excuse to be a dork and watch these movies over and over again. Anywho, this is a bit of a filler chapter since we don't really know what went down on the way back to base. So, all original material, ladies and gentlemen. God help us all…)

Stevie insisted on helping Bucky walk for the first few miles. He had to admit, her transformation had rattled him. She was now only an inch or so shorter than him, a big contrast to the almost ten inches he'd had on her before he left for England. She looked better too. Not in terms of beauty, but healthwise.

She always looked beautiful to him.

He didn't want to say anything, but he eventually found that he didn't have a choice. "So," he started. "What, uh, what happened to you, Stevie?" Smooth Barnes, he thought. Real smooth.

Stevie blushed. "Um," she coughed. "Well, it's kind of a long story, Buck, if I'm gonna be honest. Not a fun story, either." Bucky nodded.

"If you don't wanna talk about it now, you don't have to, doll," he said. "I'm gonna guess it was a pretty big transition. I mean, look at 'cha. You're almost like a completely different person." Stevie rubbed the back of her neck.

"Is different bad?" she asked quietly.

"Hell no," Bucky said. "You don't look like a walking corpse anymore, that's always an improvement." he nudged her. "Plus, betcha don't have to stuff your shoes with newspapers anymore, kid." She shoved him playfully, being mindful of his wounds.

"You know those were for the holes in my shoes, you jerk," she said. "They didn't make me even an inch taller than I was before." Bucky smiled at her. "God, I missed you, Bucky," she looked at him. "When I heard your unit was captured, I thought you were dead… It killed me, to think that I would never see you again." Buck reached a tentative hand out to brush some hair away from Stevie's face.

"Well, I ain't leavin' you anytime soon, doll," he said. "We promised till the end of the line. I don't intend on breaking my word." he smiled at her and she smiled back. "So, you wanna tell me the story of how you got like this?"

She recounted all the events of her basic training, how she'd been picked on by some of the bigger soldiers. She told him how she'd been selected for Dr. Erskine's experiment. She told him how, after she'd been transformed, Dr. Erskine had been killed. She told him how she'd been performing for USO shows instead of fighting like she wanted to.

"So, the world's only super soldier," Bucky started, sounding astounded. "And they use her to tap dance?" he shook his head. "That's shit, Stevie. They'd better not make my best girl do that anymore or they'll hear from me."

"That won't be necessary, Buck," she assured him with a grin. He smiled at her and gestured to her outfit beneath her jacket.

"'s that the getup they made you wear onstage?" Stevie glanced down, seeing her spangly outfit with a blush.

"Yeah," she said. "They made me wear a dumb lookin' mask, too." Bucky shook his head.

"That sounds awful," Bucky said. "Still, it'd be kinda funny to see you in it." Stevie rolled her eyes. "Ah, you know I'm just messing with you." he pat her helmet, chuckling. "But, look at'cha," he started. "My little soldier. Well, not so little anymore, huh?"

"Nope," Stevie said. "Gotta say, I actually kinda miss being so small some days." she chuckled. "But, the no asthma thing, very, very nice."

"None at all?" Bucky asked. Stevie shook her head. "Well, maybe we could go dancing. You always used to get so winded after one dance. Maybe we could even manage the Charleston for more than a few minutes, huh?"

"That'd be nice, Bucky." Stevie said with a small laugh. "But, you'd probably wanna go out with one of the gals from the show. They're all real pretty and I'm sure they'll be head over heels once they see you."

"Well, maybe I won't want 'em when I see 'em," Bucky mused. "Maybe I'll be alright just dancing with my best girl." He nudged Stevie gently. She looked at him, smiling.

"Aw come on, Buck," she said. "I know you keep sayin' that, but-."

"But, what?" Bucky looked at her. "You think I don't mean it every time? You've always been my best gal, Stevie, whether you knew it or not."

Stevie looked at him, her steps faltering a bit. "What?" she asked, her usual false confidence breaking beneath her like fragile glass. "O-Oh, come on, Bucky, you're just sayin' that to make me all red."

"Why don't you ever believe me when I say it, doll?" Bucky asked her, looking at her. "We've been by each other's side since we were kids. Of course you'd be my best girl. There's not another one like you in all of Brooklyn. The whole world, even." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "It took me a while to realize it, too. But, Stevie, I know it now, and I'm just sorry it took me so long to say it to you."

Stevie honestly wasn't sure how to react. How does one react when their best friend of… Forever, really, confess that they've had feelings for them? She was sure she looked like an absolute fool, red in the face, eyes wide as moons. A few soldiers passed her by as she stared at the rough European ground below her. Bucky stopped with her, as if waiting for a response.

"Doll?" he prompted. Stevie looked up at him, into his baby blue eyes. She could swear she felt her pulse accelerate. "I'm sorry, did I make you-?"

"I feel the same," she said the words before she knew what was happening. Bucky looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Do ya?" he asked. Stevie nodded, not meeting his eyes. She was embarrassed and thought she sounded like an idiot. She was about to apologize when the arm around her shoulders tightened. She looked back up at Bucky, who was grinning. "I'm real glad you like me back, Stevie. Took ya long enough. I've only been dropping hints since high school."

"Bullshit," Stevie said, looking at him with wide eyes. "What about that one gal you were always with? Bonnie?"

"Connie," Bucky corrected.

"Connie was always hangin' off of ya," she said. "You two were goin' steady for so long, I always figured you two'd get hitched at some point." Bucky actually grimaced before grinning at her. "Whoa, was I that off?"

"Shit, yeah," Bucky said, laughing. Stevie groaned, rubbing her face in embarrassment. Bucky slid his hand out from around her shoulders and pat her back. "Don't think about it too much, Stevie. Doesn't matter to me about the past. I'm just glad that you know it now."

"Hell, I am, too," she said softly with a laugh. "I just feel so dumb."

"Seems like you did keep some of the stupid with ya," Bucky said, ruffling her hair. "I'm real proud of you though, Stevie. You're livin' your dream, or, at least, you're starting to. Who woulda thought that Stevie fucking Rogers would be leadin' the charge to rescue a buncha POWs. My little soldier girl."

Stevie felt lighter than air. A few short weeks ago, she'd realized that she had feelings for Bucky, feelings she never thought in a million years he'd feel towards her. To find out that not only did he have feelings for her, but he had these feelings for a real long time? Well, Stevie felt a little foolish, if she was going to be honest with herself. But, happiness overshadowed her embarrassment, at least for now.

The soldiers arrived back at base camp a day later. All of them, either by foot or by tank, arrived at the entrance. All of them were exhausted but all of them couldn't wait to see their fellow soldiers. Stevie and Bucky were at the front of the lines, walking side by side into the camp. Soldiers whooped and hollered as they were seen walking in. The colonel, Howard Stark, and Matthew ran up to them.

Matthew looked Stevie up and down, as if checking for wounds. Finding none, he looked at her, seeming to be fighting back a smile.

"You're late," he said to her. Stevie dug into her pocket, pulling out the busted transponder.

"Well," she said. "The thing broke." she grinned and Matthew clapped her on the shoulder, smiling at her. The soldiers around all seemed to be milling around, looking for friends. Bucky smiled at Stevie, at his best girl, and shouted out to the crowd.

"Hey! Let's hear it for Captain America!" The soldiers all cheered and clapped for Stevie. Color rose to her cheeks as Bucky gave her a tight hug around the shoulders, pulling her close to him. For the first time since she'd gotten her procedure, Stevie felt like she was the hero she had wanted to be… The hero Dr. Erskine wanted her to be… The hero America needed her to be.

(Author's Note: Okay, wow, short chapter on my part, totally not okay for the big delay I had with this one. I am so sorry, and I won't promise this time that it won't happen again because lord knows it will. I'll upload a floof sometime tomorrow. Not as cutesy as the last one, definitely not as feelsy as the first. But, something fun. Cheers!


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